Amazed

Amazed – Mark 6: 1 - 13

Intro: Any person who has been a public speaker or a public-school teacher knows about how people “listen.” Actually, there are types or degrees of non-listeners: wide-eyed, staring-into-space / looking at the floor / arms crossed and head down / close-minded / no-clue / lights-on-but-nobody-is-home / those who can sleep with their eyes open / those formulating their retort as they listen / the one I used the most, those who hold a pencil between 2 fingers over the end of the desk and awaken when the pencil falls.

I VSS. 1 & 2 “Jesus left there and went to his home-town, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach I the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

A Were the people really listening as Jesus taught? Were they really hearing God speak through Jesus? I can relate. Sometimes, I wonder if people are really listening.

B Why don’t people listen? Do they think they already know what is going to be said? Do they think they’ve heard it all before? Or, do they just not care?

C I don’t think they realized it was God’s only Son who was talking.

II VS. 2 “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing?”

A Obviously there were some who were listening. Those began to question how Jesus got all this knowledge and power.

B VS. 3 – “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

C Now it all comes out. They took “offense” at him. (GK s?a?da????/ skandalizo) “that which leads to the fall or ruin of someone.” They go from being amazed to rage. Basically, they are saying, “who does he think he is?” The word implies rejection not just disappointment or dishonor.

III In Verses 6b to 13 Jesus goes on to send out his disciples giving them the power to do what he does and teach what he teaches. I can only imagine how the villagers who knew Jesus felt.

A VSS 5 & 6 - “He (Jesus) was amazed at their (people from his home-town) lack of faith. I believe the instructions Jesus gives to his disciples is a direct result of what happened to him in Nazareth.

B Three basic instructions: 1) take nothing for the journey except a staff, 2) stay in one place at a time, and 3) move on when people don’t respond.

C These are also good instructions for us as we share our faith in God and God’s Word, Christ Jesus. Jesus told his disciples and he tells us, that we are not responsible for the response to our ministries in the name o Christ. We are responsible only for our own faithfulness.

Concl: Unfortunately, most Christians would rather talk about anything else but what they believe. WE NEED NOT HAVE POLISHED WORDS OR SOPHISTICATED THEOLOGY OR FINE-TUNED DOGMA TO SPEAK OF OUR FAITH! Perhaps the problem is that we have not seriously thought about what God has done for us or what we believe about Jesus and His ministry. How has the life and teachings of Jesus affected your life? WHO IS THIS JESUS?

I challenge you to sit down for at least an hour this week and write a full paragraph about Christ Jesus and where you have seen God active in your life? You might just be amazed!